Case file · Sacred site
Aw Barkhadle, the Blessed Father
Near Hargeisa lies the shrine of Yusuf bin Ahmad al-Kawneyn, known as Aw Barkhadle, a scholar remembered for bringing Islam to the region and for a famous victory of wit over a sorcerer.
1100 CE · 9.45, 44.25 · status: legend
The account
He is credited in tradition with devising a way of teaching the Arabic vowels in Somali. The ruined town around his tomb has old mosques and graves, and a yearly siyaaro pilgrimage brings people to pray and ask for blessing. The date is traditional (10th to 12th century) and the point is approximate.
The sceptical view
His life is known mainly from oral tradition and later manuscripts; the Italian scholar Enrico Cerulli traced references in Harar texts.